Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Thanksgiving...

The WBST is designed to assess the basic verbal and mathematical skills required for nonprofessional jobs. Quantitative skills are measured in terms of practical mathematical applications and verbal ability is measured in terms of reading comprehension, word knowledge, grammar, and sentence construction. The test is taken using pen and paper and then scored using PC software.

Verbal skills, 20 minutes;
quantitative skills, 25 minutes

Mathematical Skills

This portion of the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test contains about 45 items. You are asked different questions focusing upon the basic mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The questions may take different turns depending upon your applied jobs. Generally, the tester may try to find out:

1- Can you apply the basic mathematical functions upon whole numbers, fractions, and decimals?

2- Can you apply basic functions upon whole or fractional monetary units?

3- Can you apply your basic mathematical knowledge upon measurement units such as time, length, width, weight, distance etc? The units may be in the shape of whole numbers or the fractional ones.

4- Can you apply your knowledge upon ratio, percentage and other such functions?

5- How much developed skills you have in Algebra?

6- How much grasp you have upon basic geometrical concepts?

The Wonderlic Basic Skills Test is widely used psychological instrument. However, the USA labor department gives it more importance than any other labor department in the world. That’s why the US labor department has specified six different job levels for the different levels of Wonderlic Basic Skills Tests. While encountering a Wonderlic Basic Skill Test, you must keep in mind that it is not your speed of answering but correct choices which makes you fit or unfit for your applied job.

Test Structure

Sample #1
Sample #2
Sample #3
Sample #4


How to Ace the Exam

Grammar

Math

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Population Growth

How quickly is the human population changing? Check out this world map timeline to get a sense of world population growth. Do you think that the population growth rate is too fast? Why?

Let's look at some maps and charts to better understand the issues.
  • Look at the map and observe the differences in Population Growth Rate in different parts of the world. Then answer the questions below the map in the left box. Click on the 'Check Your Answer' to see correct answers in the right box. If you don't understand the answers (or questions) ask Professor Lewis for some more explanation.
  • Do the same thing for the Population Momentum chart.
Now let's do an activity based upon the Nova program, "World in Balance." Everyone will be working in groups of three for this activity.
  1. In the handouts, each group will choose one country from each continent. We will make a list of all of the countries on the screen.
  2. Assume a starting population of 50. Do the population growth calculations for each country as described on the second page of the handouts.
  3. Once each population has doubled, stop the calculations.
  4. Report the amount of time it took for each country's population to double to Professor Lewis.
  5. Graph the population data (like we have been doing each class) for each country.
  6. Why do you think different countries have different growth rates?


UN Population Data

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

hurricane planning

Hurricanes and New York City



Since 1900, the United States has faced many hurricanes, beginning with the destruction of Galveston. History reveals hurricanes have threatened New York City every century, an "American Experience" episode was dedicated to the event. Winds reached 70 mph when the hurricane hit the Long Island coast. New York City's Office of Emergency Management Hurricane page also lists hurricanes dating from 1821, when every street south of Canal Street was flooded.The New York metropolitan transportation system is particularly vulnerable to disruption by major storms even at present, since most area rail and tunnel points of entry as well as the three major airports lie at elevations of 10 feet or less.

Do Now

  1. Peruse the U.S. Storm Disaster Timeline. Create one of your own, using this worksheet. Scale the time axis to include the years between 1600 and 2000.
  2. Create "word balloons" to attach to the appropriate date on your timeline. Write a sentence or two describing the storm that hit the American mainland on that date.
  3. Make sure to include the "Great Hurricane" and the "Gale."

Hurricane Katrina

Homework
  1. Find your home on the NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zone map. Answer the following questions.
  2. Develop your own evacuation plan. Make sure to include your
    • Go Bag
    • Plans for your Pets.
    • Plans for meeting your family.
  3. Contact your Evacuation Center either by phone or in writing. Ask them for any evacuation plan or other information the school may already have in place.


Weather Underground

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST)

The WBST is designed to assess the basic verbal and mathematical skills required for nonprofessional jobs. Quantitative skills are measured in terms of practical mathematical applications and verbal ability is measured in terms of reading comprehension, word knowledge, grammar, and sentence construction. The test is taken using pen and paper and then scored using PC software.

Verbal skills, 20 minutes;
quantitative skills, 25 minutes

Mathematical Skills

This portion of the Wonderlic Basic Skills Test contains about 45 items. You are asked different questions focusing upon the basic mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The questions may take different turns depending upon your applied jobs. Generally, the tester may try to find out:

1- Can you apply the basic mathematical functions upon whole numbers, fractions, and decimals?

2- Can you apply basic functions upon whole or fractional monetary units?

3- Can you apply your basic mathematical knowledge upon measurement units such as time, length, width, weight, distance etc? The units may be in the shape of whole numbers or the fractional ones.

4- Can you apply your knowledge upon ratio, percentage and other such functions?

5- How much developed skills you have in Algebra?

6- How much grasp you have upon basic geometrical concepts?

The Wonderlic Basic Skills Test is widely used psychological instrument. However, the USA labor department gives it more importance than any other labor department in the world. That’s why the US labor department has specified six different job levels for the different levels of Wonderlic Basic Skills Tests. While encountering a Wonderlic Basic Skill Test, you must keep in mind that it is not your speed of answering but correct choices which makes you fit or unfit for your applied job.

Test Structure

Sample #1
Sample #2
Sample #3
Sample #4


How to Ace the Exam

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Simplify Fractions

TRIP
Geogebra
whyslopes


Monday, June 4, 2007

Summer 2007 College Prep

Good morning and welcome to Boricua College!

Today we will learn about
  • computer etiquette in the computer lab
  • evaluating online fractions tutorials
  • taking a GED standardized test
Computer Lab rules

Like most other places, please leave the room as you found it. That means
  1. No disruptive behavior, such as cell phone conversations, loud mp3 music, eating/drinking in the lab.
  2. Also, please turn off the computer when you are done, as this will make sure the disk drives don't run all night.
  3. SAVE TREES! Don't print out a 10 blogspace when you're only interested in a paragraph. Printing out emails is not acceptable either. Only print out an article that is less than five pages when absolutely necessary.
Online Math Websites

One of the most important parts of this College Prep class is to ensure you have the math skills necessary to enter the Associates or Bachelor's program here at Boricua. What follows are a few Web links that list hundreds of interactive math lessons online. Each student will:
  1. Peruse each list, and evaluate several addition and subtraction of fractions websites.
  2. Once you have found two or three websites that you liked using, as well as learning something more about fractions, post a comment to this blog with your name, the name of the website, the URL, and 1-2 paragraphs explaining why you liked and learned from those specific websites.
  3. Here are the websites:
Dmoz
Homeschool Math
Google
DistanceEd


The MAPS Exam


You will be taking a 35 question evaluation, to help the instructor learn what math topics to focus on for this class. You will not be graded, this evaluation is simply to identify the skills most students need to brush up on.

New York Penal Law -- Justification


62See e.g., Zelman, 536 U.S. at 639 (vouchers); Mitchell, 530 U.S. at 793
(educational materials); Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills Sch. Dist., 509 U.S.
1 (1993)(interpreters); Bowen v. Kendrick, 487 U.S. 589 (1988)
(counseling); Witters v. Washington D ept. of Servs. for the Blind, 474 U.S.
481 (1986)(scholarship); Mueller v. Allen, 463 U.S. 388 (1983)(tax
deduction for tuition); Roemer v. Board of Pub. Works of Md., 426 U.S.
736 (1976)(grants to private colleges); Hunt v. McNair, 413 U.S. 734
(1973)(revenue bonds for college facilities); Tilton v. Richardson, 403
U.S. 672 (1971)(grants for college facilities); Board of Educ. v. Allen, 392
U.S. 236 (1968)(loan of textbooks).


57County of Allegheny v. ACLU, 492 U.S. 573, 630 (1989)(O’Connor,
J., concurring)(quoting Walz v. Tax Comm’n, 397 U.S. 664, 678 (1970));
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639, 662 n.7 (“prosecuting a
lawsuit” cannot serve to create “divisiveness”)(quoting Aguilar v. Felton,
473 U.S. 402, 229 (1985)(O’Connor, J., dissenting)).
58Newdow, 124 S. Ct. at 2320 (Rehnquist, C.J., concurring); Good News
Club v. Milford Cent. Sch. D ist., 533 U.S. 98, 119 (2001)(refusing to
employ “a modified heckler’s veto”); McGowan v. Maryland, 366 U.S.
420, 435 (1961)(“litigation over Sunday closing laws is not novel. Scores
of cases may be found in state appellate courts.”); id. at 527-36
(Frankfurter, J., concurring)(listing cases).


56See also Elk Grove Unified Sch. Dist. v. Newdow, 124 S. Ct. 2301,
2321 (2004)(O’Connor, J., concurring); Rosenberger v. Rector and
Visitors of the Univ. of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819, 852 (1995)(O’Connor, J.,
concurring); Mitchell v. Helms, 530 U.S. 793, 885 (2000)(Souter, J.,
dissenting)(citing Grumet, 512 U.S. at 751 ); Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S.
668, 679 (1984)(no “single test or criterion”)(citing cases).


Board of Educ. of Kiryas Joel Village Sch. Dist. v. Grumet, 512 U.S. 687,
751 (1994)(Scalia, J., dissenting)(“meaningless”); Lamb’s Chapel v.
Center Moriches Union Free Sch. Dist., 508 U.S. 384, 398 (Scalia, J.,
concurring)(“stalks our Establishment Clause jurisprudence”); Wallace v.
Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38, 67 (1985)(O’Connor, J., concurring)(“should be
reexamined and refined”); Id. at 91 (White, J., dissenting); Id. at 110-11
(Rehnquist, J., dissenting)(Lemon has spawned “unworkable plurality
opinions,” “consistent unpredictability” and “unprincipled results”);
Committee for Public Educ. & Religious Liberty v. Regan, 444 U.S. 646,
671 (Stevens, J., dissenting)(requires “sisyphean task” to apply the test).